Shielders won’t be told to stay home this winter
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MILLIONS of vulnerable Britons who shielded during the first wave of Covid-19 will not need to stay at home again this winter.
Officials yesterday admitted the shielding programme had been a ‘blunt tool’ and while it may have protected people, it had a major impact on their mental health.
instead of asking the 2.2million Britons in this category to stay indoors again for the second wave, the Government has published what it calls ‘softer’ guidance on how they can take extra precautions to minimise their risk.
As part of Downing street’s new threetier system of coronavirus restrictions, those classed as ‘extremely clinically vulnerable’ will be offered guidance on extra protection steps they can take.
A very limited number of people may eventually be asked to shield again, but officials stressed this will only be those at the highest risk, living in areas where infection rates are at their peak. these people will receive individual letters if and when they need to take action.
A senior health official yesterday admitted a change of tack had been taken because the previous Covid-19 programme ‘had a number of repercussions in terms of mental wellbeing’.
they added: ‘there’s probably quite a long spell ahead where we will need to
‘Previous advice was a blunt tool’ ‘Cut down on shopping trips’
be being particularly careful, and we’re very mindful that if we provide superstringent advice at this stage, which might be disproportionate, people may need to be following that for many, many months. this is a balance of risk and harm, and though the original shielding advice was successful, it was, we think, quite a blunt tool.’
For most of the country, vulnerable people in areas of ‘medium’ risk are now advised to limit unnecessary journeys on public transport and work from home where possible. People should still go to work if they need to and children should still attend school.
in areas of ‘ high’ risk, such as manchester, sheffield and Birmingham, the vulnerable are advised to reduce the number of different people they meet outside and avoid travel except for essential journeys.
For the ‘ very high’ risk areas, which at the moment only includes Liverpool, they are told to stay at home ‘ as much as possible’, significantly reduce shopping trips, but still go to school and to work if they cannot work from home.
Deputy chief medical officer for england Dr Jenny Harries said: ‘the new system will provide clarity on how best those in this group can keep themselves as safe as possible depending on the rates of transmission in their local area.
‘Whilst advisory, i would urge all those affected to follow the guidance wherever they can and to continue to access health services for their medical conditions.’
shielding, which was paused at the end of July, aimed to protect those at greatest risk of severe illness and death from Covid-19.
Clinically extremely vulnerable people include those who have had an organ transplant, people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy and lung cancer patients undergoing radical radiotherapy.
People with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma are also included, as are those with cancer who are having immunotherapy or other targeted treatments. About 90,000 children were on the list but nearly all have now been removed because they are considered to be at very low risk.
But Gemma Peters, chief executive of Blood Cancer UK, said: ‘it is completely unacceptable that even in areas where the alert level is very high, the Government expects people with blood cancer who cannot work from home to carry on travelling into work.’
Phillip Anderson, from the ms society, added: ‘the Prime minister told us yesterday that Covid19 is once again “spreading among the elderly and vulnerable”. yet the new shielding guidance doesn’t amount to a plan to protect the millions of people particularly vulnerable to Covid-19. instead, it simply confirms there isn’t one.’
But Health secretary matt Hancock said: ‘this announcement will mean every person most at risk from serious outcomes from the virus will have specific advice targeted to local levels, which they can follow to keep themselves as safe as possible, while ensuring they can also keep as much normality in their lives as possible.’